OBJECTIVETo study the effect of crocin on rat experimental hyperlipemia and its mechanisms.

METHODHyperlipemia model was established by feeding heavy cholesterol for 2 months and the effect of crocin on blood lipid in experimental hyperlipemia rats was observed. Aortic smooth muscle cells were cultured in different culture media and proliferation was measured by MTT assay. Western blotting was used to detect the effect of crocin on phosphorylation of p38 MAPK.

RESULTCrocin not only decreased greatly the content of cholesterol, triglyceride and density lipoprotein in blood, but also increased the content of high density lipoprotein. In addition, the proliferation of smooth muscle cells and the activation of p38MAPK were inhibited by Crocin.

CONCLUSIONCrocin prevents atherosclerosis in hyperlipemia, which may be mediated by the inhibition of both proliferation of smooth muscle cells and activation of p38MAPK.

Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; cytology ; Carotenoids ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Crocus ; chemistry ; Hyperlipidemias ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; blood ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; blood ; Male ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; enzymology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; blood ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism